His team’s history, he contended in response to a questioning of his team’s nerve, can be a predictor of its future. This group of San Diego State basketball players, Fisher believes, can win the type of games that separate almost from all the way.

“Yeah,” he said before listing a few of the comebacks and hold-offs the Aztecs have accomplished this season. “… We’ve lost more (close games) than we’ve won, but we know how to win close games.”

I don’t know, Coach Fisher.

It is out of respect that the savior of Aztecs hoops is herein referred to in that manner. Coach Fisher knows young men, knows what makes them tick, knows how to get them to move Mountain West championships.

But I think he might be wrong this time. You just have to wonder if this crew has it.

You know, it.

In more words, it was described thusly late Saturday afternoon by senior Chase Tapley: “You’ve got to be mentally tough when it’s down to the end.”

The Aztecs on Saturday lost a game, 69-65 to Boise State in the regular season finale, which in the grand scheme was devoid of consequence.

It was virtually certain going in that SDSU (21-9, 9-7) was safely within the NCAA Tournament bracket and also all but assured that the Aztecs would be playing Boise State (21-9, 9-7) again this coming Wednesday in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

What is troubling is that the Aztecs are getting further and further removed from the appearance of cold-blooded killers that distinguished them the past few years.

When Tapley’s three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining Saturday brought SDSU to within 66-63, you had to figure the Broncos were wondering what might befall them this time. The Aztecs had, after all, won some wacky games against them the past two years, including a 63-62 victory last month at Viejas Arena on Tapley’s three-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining.

Not this time.

Instead, Saturday became SDSU’s fifth loss in eight games this season in which the point differential was one possession inside of one minute.

“It’s not OK,” said Fisher, who nonetheless was pleased his team didn’t tank in a game it could have. “We’ve had too many like this. We’ve been close but not been able to make that extra play, get that one whistle, make that one basket.”

The Aztecs’ record in such games last season was 9-3. In the 34-3 campaign of 2010-11, they were 4-0 in those one-possession contests.

“We’re just not making plays we need to make when we need to make them,” Tapley said. “That’s what makes teams great … I hope we figure it out by the time we get into the Mountain West Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.”

The Aztecs will play this good-but-not-great Boise team again on Wednesday on a neutral court in a game that matters.

Considering their numerous gaffes and shortcomings on Saturday did not prevent them from making it a game, even marginally better execution should be enough to win Wednesday’s fourth-versus-fifth-place contest and move on.

“We know what we need to do to face Boise State again,” Jamaal Franklin said.

Shooting better than 26 percent in the first half would help, as would not trailing by 15 points in the opening minute of the second half.

But what if it’s close at the end?

Now Boise knows it can pull one out against SDSU.

And despite their words, you have to wonder if the Aztecs truly don’t doubt they can call on that ability again right now.

“We’ve got to be mentally tough,” Tapley repeated.

But pressed that perhaps the Aztecs were not mentally tough, he balked.

“I don’t think it’s an issue,” he said. “We’ve been there. We’ve done it. We have people on our team that are veterans of those kinds of games, who have made the shot at the end to win a game, made the play that needed to be made.”

San Diego State has won either the regular season or tournament title three straight years. The Aztecs gave advanced to four straight MWC tournament championship games. Their tournament record since 2009 is 10-2.

“We’ve played real well there,” Fisher said. “But we’ve had great close games.”

Last year, Franklin sank a three at the buzzer to beat Boise in the tournament opener. That accounted for one of the four games in the past three MWC tournaments the Aztecs have won by three or fewer points. In those three years, they have yet to lose such a game.